Orthodontic appliance

ABSTRACT

AN ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE FOR MAINTAINING AN ARCH WIRE PROPERLY POSITIONED WITH RESPECT TO A TOOTH. THE APPLIANCE INCLUDES A SYMMETRICALLY CONSTRUCTED GUIDANCE PIN HAVING AN OVAL HEAD AND AN ELONGATED TAIL EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO THE MAJOR AXIS OF THE OVAL HEAD. THIS PIN IS RECEIVED IN A BRACKET, WITH THE TAIL EXTENDING BETWEEN SIDE WALLS OF THE BRACKET. THE SIDE WALLS EXTEND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY AND TERMINATE IN UPPER SURFACES RESPECTIVELY FORMED WITH RECESSES EXTENDING AROUND THE MAJOR AXIS OF THE OVAL HEAD AN RECEIVING THE LATTER TO FORM A SEAT THEREFOR. THE BRACKET SIDE WALLS ARE FORMED AT INNER EDGES WITH UPWARDLY DIRECTED SHOULDERS WHICH WITH THE OVAL HEAD AND THE OUTER SURFACE OF A BAND WHICH CARRIES THE BRACKET DEFINE AN ENCLOSURE THROUGH WHICH THE ARCH WIRE EXTENDS. WHEN THE PIN IS INITIALLY PLACED IN THE BRACKET THE TAIL EXTENDS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AN AXIS OF A CYLINDER OF WHICH THE BAND FORMS A PART, WITH THIS TAIL BEING SITUATED FORWARDLY OF THE BAND WITHOUT BEING INCLINED TOWARD THE LATTER.

Sept. 21, 1971 E. SCHWARTZ ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE Filed Oct. 13. 1969 INVEN'IOR. ERNEST SCHWARTZ ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofice 3,606,685 ORTHODONTIC APPLIANCE Ernest Schwartz, 33-31 163rd St., Flushing, N.Y. 11354 Filed Oct. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 865,716 Int. Cl. A61c 7/00 U.S. Cl. 32--14A 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An orthodontic appliance for maintaining an arch wire properly positioned with respect toa tooth. The appliance includes a symmetrically constructed guidance pin having an oval head and an elongated tail extending perpendicularly with respect to the major axis of the oval head. This pin is received in a bracket, with the tail extending between side walls of the bracket. The side walls extend substantially vertically and terminate in upper surfaces respectively formed with recesses extending around the major axis of the oval head and receiving the latter to form a seat therefor. The bracket side walls are formed at inner edges with upwardly directed shoulders which with the oval head and the outer surface of a band which carries the bracket define an enclosure through which the arch wire extends. When the pin is initially placed in the bracket the tail extends substantially parallel to an axis of a cylinder of which the band forms a part, with this tail being situated forward ly of the band without being inclined toward the latter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to orthodontic appliances. In particular, the present invention relates to a combination pin and bracket assembly used to retain an arch wire.

Orthodontic appliances of this general type are well known and widely used. However, such appliances suffer from serious drawbacks. For example, at the present time when a safety pin is inserted into a bracket, the tail of the pin is inclined toward the band so as to engage either the band, or a part of the tooth. As a result it is inconvenient to grasp the lower end of the tail which must be bent around the lower edge of the bracket.

Furthermore, with known safety pins, which generally are stamped from a metal sheet so that they are of a flat configuration, great care must be taken in inserting the safety pin into the bracket. The reason for this is that the upper end of the safety pin, where the head is located, provides the safety pin with a non- 3,606,685 Patented Sept. 21, 1971 of the pin, it is necessary to apply thereto not only the pressure re'quired'for the simple bending but also the pressure required to cam the head of the pin against the band or tooth. These operations may result in additional discomfort to teeth which have increased sensitivity due to orthodontic movement.

There are also known lock pins which retain the arch wire directly engaging the latter. Such lock pins are inserted into the interior of the bracket so as to directly engage the arch wire. However, these lock pins do not allow free tipping of the teeth, as is all important during the first two stages of the light wire differential 1 to provide an orthodontic appliance which will avoid the symmetrical construction. Because of this lack of symmetry it is very easy to drop the pin into position in a reversed condition. Thus the operator must carefully check to see that such a conventional pin is properly oriented, and if it is not properly oriented the pin must be removed and reversed so as to become properly situated. These manipulations of course represent a great inconvenience and a source of possible error in the insertion of the pin.

Also, the head of the safety pin has sharp edges which often scratch the free gingival tissue during insertion and which easily scratch lip tissue during treatment.

Furthermore, when the lower end region of the tail of the safety pin is bent around the lower end surface of the bracket, the head of the pin is pressed against the band which surrounds the tooth, or against the tooth itself where no band is used and the bracket is mounted directly on the tooth. Such procedures are used in order to reliably provide an enclosure through which the arch wire can extend without any danger of escape of the arch wire from the enclosure. Thus, when bending the tail above drawbacks.

In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide an orthodontic appliance which does not require the tail of a pin to be inclined toward the band or tooth.

A further object of the invention is to provide an appliance where the pin has a head which may engage but does not press against the band or tooth.

In addition it is an object of the invention to provide an orthodontic appliance which can be very conveniently manipulated without risking any discomfort or injury to the patient.

The objects of the present invention also include the provision of a perfectly symmetrical guidance pin which will be properly positioned simply by being assembled with the bracket in either one of a pair of opposed positions.

Also, it an object of the invention to provide an orthodontic appliance of the above general type which is made up of simple relatively inexpensive components which coact very reliably to achieve the desired results, namely retaining of an arch wire in a proper position without the above drawbacks encountered in the present state of the art.

According to the invention a symmetrically consrtucted guidance pin is formed by a combination of elements which include an oval-shaped head having a major axis and a tail fixed to and extending from the head and being substantially perpendicular to the major axis thereof. A bracket which receives this pin is of substantially U-shaped configuration and has a pair of opposed side walls which extend between upper and lower end surfaces of the bracket. The upper surface of the bracket at the opposed side walls thereof is formed with a pair of curved recesses which extend around the major axis of the head of the guidance pin and form a seat for this head. At least one of the side walls is formed at the lower end surface of the bracket with a notch for receiving a bent-over end of the tail. Attaching dlanges which project laterally from the side walls terminate in inner surfaces which substantially form part of a cylinder up to which the head of the guidance pin extends when seated in the recesses at the upper end surface of the bracket, and above the attaching flanges the side walls of the bracket are respectively formed with upwardly directed shoulders defining with the head of the guidance pin a space through which the arch wire extends to be retained in this space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS larger than FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 illustrating the guidance 3 pin in dot-dash lines in its initial position when introduced into the bracket and in solid lines in its final position with respect to the bracket;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section of the structure of FIG. 2 taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional upwardly directed plan view of the structure of FIG. 2 taken along line 44 of \FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows; and

- FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective illustration of the orthodontic appliance of the invention, the band of FIG. 5 being fragmentarily illustrated, with the arch wirebeing indicated in dot-dash lines.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the tooth which has mounted thereon, in a known manner, a conventional band 12' which is of a substantially cylindrical configuration. This band 12 fixedly carries the orthodontic appliance 14 of the invention. This appliance 14 includes a bracket 16 and a symmetrically constructed guidance pin 18.

The guidance pin 18 has a head 20 of oval-shaped configuration. This head 20 may be made of any suitable metal and has a major axis 22' which extends horizontally to the right and left, as viewed in FIG. 2. The minor axis of the head 20 extends vertically, as viewed in FIG. 4.

The head 20 of the pin 18 is fixed to and may be integrally formed with a tail 24 in the form of a simple wire of circular cross-section. The tail '24 extends perpendicularly with respect to the major axis 22. In order to facilitate introduction of the guidance pin 18 into the bracket 16', the tail 24 terminates in a tapered tip 26 of substantially pointed configuration. This tip 26, which is distant from the head 20, may be formed by providing the tail with an inclined end surface '28.

The bracket 16 of the orthodontic appliance of the invention is of a substantially U-shaped configuration and includes a pair of opposed side walls 30a and 3%. These side walls are interconnected by a front curved transverse wall portion 32 of the bracket 16. The bracket terminates in an upper end surface 34 and a lower end surface 36. The side walls 30a and 30b terminate distant from the transverse wall 32 in edges respectively formed with upwardly directed shoulders 38a and 38b. Downwardly from the shoulders 38a and 38b the side walls 30a and 30b are respectively integrally connected with laterally extending attaching flanges 40a and 40b which respectively have inner surfaces 42a and 42b which substantially form part of a cylindrical surface and which have bevelled upper and outer end edges, as viewed in FIG. 2.

At its upper end surface 34, the bracket 16- is formed at the side walls 30a and 30b with a pair of curved, concave recesses 44a and 44b which are in part curved around the major axis of the head 20', as is particularly apparent from FIG. 3 which is in a plane normal to the major axis 22. Thus, these recesses 44a and 44b form a seat for the head 20 Whose major axis 22 extends across the recesses 44a and 4411 with the outer opposed ends of the head 20 extending somewhat beyond the side walls 301: and 30b of the bracket 16, as is particularly apparent from FIGS. 2 and 4.

The Ilower end surface 36 of the bracket 16 has a notched configuration, and at least at one of the side walls has a notch for receiving the bent-over end 46 of the tail :24 of the guidance pin 18. In the illustrated example both of the side walls 30a and 30b are respectively formed with the substantially semicircular notches 48a and 481:, so that the lower end region of the tail can be bent into either one of these notches.

While it is possible to omit the band 12 and attach the flanges 40a and 40b directly to a tooth, in the illustrated example these flanges are fixed to the band 12. Thus, the attaching flanges 40a and 401) may be spot welded or riveted to the band 12' so as to be fixedly carried .thereby. Thus, the outer surface of the band 12 forms part of the cylinder along which the inner surfaces 42a and 42b extend.

The location of the recesses 44a and 44b is such that when the head 20' is received in and seated in these recesses, in the manner illustrated most clearly in FIG. 3, this head 20 extends in close proximity to and may even lightly engage the exterior surface of the band 12. It does not, however, press with any substantial force against the band 12.

When the guidance pin 18 is first introduced into the bracket, the tail .24 extends substantially vertically in the manner indicated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 2. In this initial position of the tail it is spaced from and situated forwardly of the band 12 extending substantially parallel to the cylinder axis surrounded by the band 12 so that the lower end portion of the tall 24, which is freely accessible beneath the bracket 16, is initially spaced forwardly of the band 12 because the tail 24 is not initially inclined toward the band 12 so as to engage either the band 12 or the tooth 10. Thus, because the lower end region of the tail 24 stands free of and is spaced forwardly from the band 12 and the tooth 10, it is a simple matter to apply a tool to the free end of the tail 24 without any inconvenience or any possible injury to the patient, as would be the cause if it were necessary to grasp with the tool a free end of the tail located closely adjacent to and inclined toward the band 12 or the tooth 10'.

All that is required is to bend the lower end region of the tail 24 around the lower end surface 36 into one or the other of the notches 48a or 48b, so as to provide the tail with bent-over end 46 securing the guidance pin to the bracket. It will be noted that this operation does not in any way involve camming of the head 20 toward the the band 12.

It is to be noted that the tail 24 is symmetrical with respect to the oval head 20. In other words the axis of the tail 24 is situated midway between the outer ends of the head 20. As a result it is possible to drop the tail 24 into the bracket 16 with the head 20 engaging the seating recesses in either of a pair of opposed positions. Thus, the head 20 may have the position shown in FIG. 2 or it may be turned through 180 with respect to the position shown in FIG. 2 without in any way changing the coaction between the guidance pin and the bracket. Because of this feature it is virtually impossible for the operator to assemble the guidance pin 18 in an improper manner with respect to the bracket 16, and checking as to whether or not the pin must be reversed is completely eliminated with the structure of the invention.

The arch wire 50 is shown extending through the retaining space 52 (FIG. 3) defined between the shoulders 38a, 38b and the head 20 as well as between the outer surface of the band 12 and the inner edges of the side walls 30a and 30b above the shoulders 38a and 3812. Because the recesses 44a and 44b position the oval-shaped head with considerable precision in the manner shown in FIG. 3, the arch wire 50 will be reliably retained within the space 52. I

It is to be noted that it is not absolutely essential for the head 20 to have the configuration of a full oval. For example, the head 20 could have a fiat surface soas to form the lower half of an oval. It is only essential that the downwardly directed lower surface of the head 20 form part of an oval so as to coact properly with the seats formed by the recesses 44a and 44b. As is apparent from FIG. 3, for example, if the head 20 should have an upwardly directed fiat surface, for example, it still would coact properly with these seats, and mostof the advantages of the invention would still be retained. However, it is preferred to provide a head 20 in the form of a complete full oval, because in this way the upper surface of the head is convexly curved to provide a far greater comfort and lack of possible injury or irritation to the patient. Because of the smooth convexly curved upper surface of the head 20 it is capable of fending off any lip tissue which may come in engagement with the guidance pin, so that such tissue will not become scratched or otherwise irritated with the guidance pin of the invention. For these reasons the particular construction shown in the drawings and described above is preferred.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in an orthodontic appliance, a combination of elements forming a symmetrically constructed guidance pin, said elements including a head having at least a lower portion forming part of an oval having a major axis, and a tail fixed to and extending from said head, said tail being substantially perpendicular to said major axis, and a bracket coacting with said guidance pin for maintaining an arch wire positioned properly with respect to a tooth, said bracket having an elongated portion of substantially U-shaped configuration terminating in upper and lower end surfaces and having a pair of opposed side walls respectively extending substantially perpendicularly with respect to said end surfaces, the upper surface of said bracket at said opposed side walls thereof being formed with curved recesses extending in part around said major axis and forming a seat for said head, said tail extending freely between said side walls.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein the lower end surface of said bracket at at least one of said side walls has a notched configuration to receive a bent-over end of said tail distant from said head.

3. The combination of claim 2, said side walls respectively terminating in inner edges respectively formed with upwardly directed shoulders which define with said head of said guidance pin a space for enclosing an arch wire, and said bracket having between said shoulders and said lower end surface attaching flanges provided respectively with inner surfaces directed away from said tail, said inner surfaces of said attaching flanges forming substantially, part of a cylinder and said recesses at said upper end surface of said bracket seating said head at a location where it extends up to the region of said cylinder while said tail extends downwardly and is spaced forwardly from said inner surfaces of said attaching flanges and is substantially parallel to the axis of said cylinder when said tail is initially introduced into said bracket, so that the lower end region of said tail need only be laterally bent around lower end surface of said bracket to be received in the notched side wall, without tilting said tail forwardly and without urging said head toward said cylinder.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein a tooth band carries said bracket and is fixed thereto at said inner surfaces of said attaching flanges thereof, said band having an exterior surface forming at least part of said cylinder and defining with said bracket side walls, above said shoulders thereof, and with said head of said guidance pin an enclosure through which an arch Wire passes, said head of said guidance pin extending in close proximity to said band without pressing against the latter.

5. The combination of claim 2 and wherein a tooth band carries said bracket, said head contacting said band before the tail is bent in substantially the same way that said head contacts said band after the tail is bent around the lower surface of the bracket.

6. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said bracket has a forward transverse wall portion extending between said side walls thereof and located distant from said attaching flanges, said recesses at said upper surface of said bracket, at said side walls thereof, being situated rearwardly of said forward transverse wall portion of said bracket.

7. The combination of claim 2 and wherein both of said side walls are respectively formed with notches at the lower end surface of said bracket, so that the tail may be bent selectively into one or the other of said notches.

*8. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said tail terminates distant from said head in a tapered substantially pointed tip facilitating introduction of said tail into said bracket.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

